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According to the Ohev Yisrael, the Israelites preferred to live under physical oppression in Egypt than to live in a state of spiritual indebtedness to God. How could this be? What is this teaching us about spiritual labor? Transcript and source sheet: https://mechonhadar.s3.amazonaws.com/mh_torah_source_sheets/WeissTisch5-3.pdf.  “Mitteler Rebbe,” "Ach L'elokim," and “Ki Anu Amecha” from RAZA Kapelya (2023) by Chana Raskin. Produced by Joey Weisenberg and Chana Raskin for Hadar’s Rising Song Records.

When kids ask big questions, how do you respond? Whether you are parent, educator, or just a curious person, you've probably asked yourself the same questions. This podcast doesn’t have all the answers, but it can give you language and frameworks to engage meaningfully with these questions.  Every week, Rabbi Shai Held invites an expert guest to explore a big question: Who is God? Why did God create the world? Why do bad things happen? No pressure.  

The Talmud recognizes two very different forms of teshuvah (repentance): "teshuvah out of love" and "teshuvah out of fear." Both of these forms of teshuvah are sincere and “real” forms of teshuvah, though they come from very different places. The Ohev Yisrael helps us see that teshuvah out of love is a quest for excellence and true improvement, and that this is the model of what we should aspire to. Transcript and source sheet: https://mechonhadar.s3.amazonaws.com/mh_torah_source_sheets/WeissTisch5-2.pdf  “Mitteler Rebbe,” "Ach L'elokim," and “Ki Anu Amecha” from RAZA Kapelya (2023) by Chana Raskin. Produced by Joey Weisenberg and Chana Raskin for Hadar’s Rising Song Records.   

One of the most dazzling of all the ornate garments worn by the Kohen Gadol, the High Priest, was the tzitz (ציץ), a tiara that that encircled the turban on his head, forming a sort of crown.  In the front, resting on his forehead, was a plate of gold sealed with a boldly proclaimed message: “Holy to the Eternal!”  But the intricate design of the tzitz was encoded with other, hidden messages that complicated its meaning.

Gifts are more than their monetary equivalents. A gift can be an expression of love and affection, of fear and obedience, an obnoxious demonstration of wealth, or a powerful equalizer of means. By thinking about our donations to build the mishkan (tabernacle), the Ohev Yisrael teaches us that being willing to step into the receiving role, to be humble and accepting, is itself a gift. Transcript and source sheet: https://mechonhadar.s3.amazonaws.com/mh_torah_source_sheets/WeissTisch5-1.pdf “Mitteler Rebbe,” "Ach L'elokim," and “Hu Elokeinu” from RAZA Kapelya (2023) by Chana Raskin. Produced by Joey Weisenberg and Chana Raskin for Hadar’s Rising Song Records.

This week, we are introduced to what will become the holiest object in the Hebrew Bible, although it is not really so much an object as it is a container. The Ark will occupy the innermost sanctum of the mishkan, the “Holy of Holies,” and it is from above the Ark that God communicates with Moshe (see Exodus 25:22).  The camp of Israel was centered around it at rest, and carried it with them as they marched through the wilderness.  A midrash, however, notices that this Ark, the Aron ha-Edut, was not the only aron the Children of Israel carried with them through the wilderness.

How can we access Torah? Who has the right to speak Torah? The hasidic rebbes encourage us to reach deep inside ourselves for the eternal springs of Torah. Come learn texts about how each of us holds Torah that the world needs.  This lecture was originally recorded at Hadar's Manger Winter Learning Seminar in December 2023.

Even as Parashat Mishpatim marks a sharp transition from epic narrative to dense legal code, the first law of that code makes it clear that the stories of the Torah have not been forgotten.  

By looking closely at a passage from Jeremiah, Rav Shai in his lecture "Build Homes and Pray for the Peace" of Babylon, explores the relationship between hope and realism, exile and home, in the Bible and today.  Originally recorded in Summer 2023. Download the source sheet: https://mechonhadar.s3.amazonaws.com/mh_torah_source_sheets/EXS2023HeldJeremiah.pdf

The last of the Ten Commandments is distinct from the rest in several ways.  Structurally, it is in the second five, but it stands out from the others.  After the clipped language of six through nine, all fitting into one verse (“do not kill, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness against your neighbor”), this last one suddenly takes up a whole verse to itself - and a very strange construction at that.

The Jewish people live in eternal covenant with God, but what is the relationship of that covenanted people to the Land of Israel? Is it eternal, or affected by the passage of time or historical context? What does our tradition say about Jews wielding power in the Land of Israel? How are Jews meant to take responsibility for themselves through power, and what happens if they fail? This lecture, delivered in memory of Dr. Eddie Scharfman z"l in January 2024, offers sources, framing, and reflection on contemporary questions of Jewish power and the Land of Israel. 

In Parashat BeShallah, the Children of Israel are tested twice, and then they do some testing of their own.